Mike Greenlar / The Post StandardJordan-Elbridge's financial consultant Thomas Strain points to projected budget figures during a hearing on the new 2011-2012 budget, held in the J-E High School auditorium Tuesday night. Behind him is interim school business administrator Joseph Coleman, who prepared the new revised budget.

Jordan, NY - Jordan-Elbridge school district residents wanted to know why more teachers could not keep their jobs in a revised 2011-12 budget. They also wanted to know why administrators have not asked staff to reconsider taking a pay freeze to retain teachers in the classrooms.

Other residents asked what would happen if the budget gets voted down for a second time next week.

The district’s business officials told nearly 70 people at a budget presentation tonight in the high school auditorium that the defeated budget did not include enough money to pay all the employees.

That is why the district had to increase the amount budgeted for teacher salaries by more than $710,000 in the revised budget.

Residents last month overwhelmingly rejected the district’s $27,596,582 spending plan that included a 7.3 percent tax levy increase — the largest school tax hike proposed in Onondaga County. That budget would have cut 29.7 positions. The vote was 1,282-323.

If voters reject the revised budget next Tuesday, the school board would have to adopt a $26,832,177 contingency budget, which is expected to carry a 3.6 percent tax levy increase, interim school business administrator Joseph Coleman said. The board also would be required to make $194,394 in reductions from the proposed budget, he said.

The revised budget restores 4.5 positions: a guidance counselor, a first-grade teacher, a clerk, a teacher aide and a part-time athletic director. The cost to restore those positions is $272,000, according to Coleman.

Sue Paddock, a retired elementary school teacher who taught in Port Byron and lives in Elbridge, asked district officials whether they had gone back to the teachers and asked them to reconsider a pay freeze in the coming school year.

Ben Alexander, vice president of the Jordan-Elbridge Teachers’ Association, said he has not heard of any negotiations since union officials met with the former administration, including former interim Superintendent Lawrence Zacher, who was terminated.

“The tsunami that we’ve been working our way through hasn’t provided an ample opportunity to meet with (the teachers’ union),” Coleman said. “That really would be the first primary responsibilities of (the incoming superintendent) Jim Froio who will be here July 1. There is no way that could be done with what we had to do in a 3 ½-week period.”

Alexander said he understood.

But Paddock, who said she had never voted against a school budget until last month, said she plans to vote no again next week because she feels more teachers could have been restored if they had negotiated a possible wage freeze.

“I have a problem voting for the budget until I can see more teachers being restored,” said Paddock, a former J-E school board member. “I feel they’re not even giving the teachers a chance to negotiate. They’re not even given the opportunity.”

Another former J-E school board member, Bert Mott, of Elbridge, also stood up during the budget presentation. He asked everyone to support the revised budget.

“We do not want a contingency budget in this district,” he said. “We have a new superintendent starting the first of July and what a pity to dump a contingency budget in his lap and expect him to be successful. I’m going to vote for the budget.”

View full sizeMike Greenlar / The Post StandardBen Alexander, vice president of the Jordan-Elbridge Teacher's Association, asks a question at a hearing for the revised budget Tuesday night.

Alexander, a high school English teacher, said members of the teachers’ union have concerns about the revised budget but they also understand that a contingency budget would have an “even greater impact on taxpayers and instructional positions and so we find ourselves offering our support, but with the recommendation that the board consider restoring positions – and only those positions that preserve instructional integrity.”

Alexander said he has been an educator for 10 years.

“In those 10 years, it has become clear to me that the success of our students depends upon the individuals that populate their lives, the guidance counselors, teacher aides and assistants, and teachers – all of whom have contact with students on a daily basis,” he said. “They are the people who step in to support students during a moment of crisis and who celebrate their moments of joy…

“We can talk about developing curriculum documents, integrating new technologies and so on, but without people to breathe life into these ‘things,’ the lives of our students will never be touched, sparked or inspired…,” Alexander said. “People make education possible.”

He then asked board members to start with the people – use administrators efficiently and consider restoring staff.

“Consider the investment that has already been made,” Alexander said. “You’ve invested in this staff, in these people, in this district and they’ve invested in you. While mistakes have been made, we can only control how we proceed.”

He ended by asking a question to the board: “Are we doing what’s best for our students? I ask the board to consider the answer to this question as you build and adopt the final budget.”